Film noir prospered as a genre in the 1940s. For another example of that type of thriller, we go to 1946’s Crack-Up.

An art curator at a small museum, George Steele (Pat O’Brien) believes he experienced a train wreck. However, no evidence of such a calamity exists.

Steele recounts his memories to authorities. Suspicions arise that Steele may suffer from mental illness, though possibilities that he becomes the victim of an insidious plot also manifest.

Thanks to releases like this from Warner Archive and others, I’ve enjoyed a decent little exploration of noir efforts over the years. Plenty of these work well.

With an unusual plot, I hoped Crack-Up would join the roster of winning noir flicks. However, it sputters too much to really connect.

Much of the problem stems from Crack-Up’s convoluted story. At its heart, it wants to provide a detective tale in which the protagonist attempts to prove he’s not bonkers.

Some of those elements work nicely, especially when we meet colorful characters related to Steele’s investigation. At times, the flick pops to life and shows spark.

Unfortunately, the basic narrative gets so gummed up by competing threads that it turns mushy. Crack-Up deviates from its core plot too often and these tangents can feel a bit desperate, like the filmmakers threw them in because they didn’t know where else to take the situations.

O’Brien seems miscast as Steele because he comes across more like a noir tough guy than an art museum curator. This disconnect means it becomes more difficult to engage in his actions.

Crack-Up hints at issues related to World War II veterans, a theme that shows promise. Unfortunately, the film fails to delve into these much.

I wouldn’t call Crack-Up a waste of time, as it comes with enough narrative thrust to keep us with it. The movie simply never becomes better than just okay.

Crack-Up appears in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a largely satisfying presentation.

Sharpness became a bit iffy at times, partly related to process shots. Still, most of the film boasted fairly positive delineation and accuracy.

Neither jaggies nor moiré effects impacted the proceedings, and light grain manifested. Edge haloes remained absent and I saw no print flaws.

Blacks seemed deep and rich, while contrast gave the movie a fine silvery sheen. Low-light shots brought us nice smoothness and clarity. This turned into a perfectly satisfactory image.

I felt pleased with the relatively the high-quality DTS-HD MA monaural soundtrack, as it held up nicely for its age. Music and effects didn’t boast great range or punch, but both came across accurate enough and they lacked distortion or problems.

As usual for older recordings, speech came across as a little tinny, but the lines remained fairly concise and only a few spots of edginess occurred. The mix lacked hiss, noise or other problems. This turned into a more than acceptable mix for its era.

In addition to the film’s trailer, we find a vintage short called Purity Squad. Part of a series entitled Crime Doesn’t Pay, the 19-minute, 53-second reel looks at a scheme by a pharmaceutical company to sell a phony treatment for diabetes.

As the Crime Doesn’t Pay moniker implies, the culprits eventually suffer the consequences. Despite some dated elements, the manner in which the businessmen favor profits over lives remains depressingly relevant and that helps make this a surprisingly effective reel.

While I appreciate that Crack-Up provides an unusual setting for a noir tale, the end result seems spotty. Although the film occasionally pops to life, too much of it feels mediocre. The Blu-ray comes with generally appealing picture and audio along with minor supplements. Expect a watchable but less than enthralling thriller.